


children of the night (undeniably human)

by celestial_nova, sunflower_8



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Another Episode, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst, Emotional Manipulation, F/F, F/M, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Violence, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple, Rating May Change, Unhealthy Relationships, Vampires, Violence, Werewolves, a dr1 au?? in 2019?? it’s more likely than you think, authors don't know how college works and it really shows, conspiracy theory time boyos, nothing explicit dw, so it'll prob change to mature, the violence is gonna get a bit graphic later on, wait it’s not 2019 anymore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-01-16 01:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21262844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestial_nova/pseuds/celestial_nova, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunflower_8/pseuds/sunflower_8
Summary: Hope's Peak Academy is known for low acceptance rates, talented students, and mysteries. A research program nobody has uncovered, funds going missing, and a plethora of other controversies and unanswered queries. Questions didn't stop there. Everyone knows the tales of vampires and werewolves, wars that are shielded in fantasy. These occurrences are impossible, but nobody wants to venture into the dark.However, as time progresses, some students just might have to.Makoto Naegi was an average student at Hope's Peak Academy, but his life turns to absurdity once danger and intrigue collide with his peaceful existence.Mondo Owada was loyal by blood, packs and pacts decreeing that betrayal was sin, but never forseeing the reality of survival.Toko Fukawa was debris in the storm of destruction, conceiving a seance of crimson flesh with faith it could come to life.(ON HIATUS)





	1. prologue [???]

The air was heavy and thick around her, cold enough to make her tremble. Dark shadows were cast from the trees and underbrush, dancing in the dim, moonlit twilight. It was approximately midnight when she was beckoned from her dorm, following her master through the woods. They’ve been walking for a long time, though; if she had to guess, it was now one am, which was the latest-- or earliest, technically-- she’d ever been outside. 

She shivered slightly, hoping her actions would go unnoticed, though they usually do regardless. Her master persisted ahead of her, stepping over twigs with precision while she tripped over them. Every noise she made received a glare of disdain, and she desperately wished she could apologize, but she knew that would only anger her master further. Thus, she willed herself to be silent, and she paid more attention to the branches, taunting herself with a fictional look of pride when she doesn’t stumble.

The air seemed to shift after a few more minutes of walking, and she could feel them getting close to their location. Sweat fell down her forehead, fear of the unknown overweighting the fear of presenting herself as disgusting. She inhaled sharply, deciding to take a risk by opening her mouth and projecting her voice. “M-master?”

“What do you want?” His voice was cold and condescending, and she could make out the glasses on his nose, punctuating his beautiful face that radiated prestige. He was harsh and critical, but yet she took in his words as if they were gifts from God, far better than the language she used in romance novels.  _ This _ was romance; wandering through the woods helplessly, at the total mercy of the man she loved and obsessed over. This was a romance novel to rival the experts, though she supposed she was classified as an expert regardless.

How pathetic.

“W-what exactly are w-we doing h-here?”

“Didn’t I already tell you not to ask?” She struggled to match his step as he sped up, towering over her and walking briskly through the woods. Still, he spoke without a hitch in his breath, without any hesitation or last-minute thought. “You once said you would do anything for me, correct? If you want to prove yourself worthy to me, then you will do this, regardless of whether you know the destination or not. Correct?”

“C-correct.” She had been so inane to question him. Her master always had reason for his actions, always had a plan. Despite his hatred of her-- though she prayed to change that-- he would keep her far safer than she could herself. She trusted him, whole-heartedly. She would die for him, even.

Still, a selfish part of her screamed:  _ not tonight. _ Not when the moon glowed and accentuated his features, making this moment sacred to her. She’ll worship it forever.

She shivered again. 

Despite the perfection of the scene unfolding around her, something was off. It was enough to make her ear twitch and her eyes squint, enough for her involuntary chills to turn into restlessness and terror. She was terrified, she really was. Her heart beat was quickening, but she had survived many things and this was no big deal. This could be the best day of her life, the day where she was finally worthy to lick her master’s shoes, and maybe even more.

What would it be like to kiss him, to feel the definition of perfect and dominant and superior against her lips? What would it feel like if his calloused hands, long and elegant, traced her scarred and ugly skin? Would he love the imperfections, beauty marks scattered in places where they weren’t beautiful at all, or would he loathe them? Which would be more arousing? To him and to her, although the latter’s desires weren’t the pertinent part.

“We’re here.” His voice was steady and gave no indication of what they were meant to do here. From what she could discern, they were at a different part of the forest, one that was more obscure. The light from the moon was hidden by the tree canopies, and she could hardly see much of anything. She waited patiently and in silence; the two of them loitered for about ten minutes. At that mark, her master looked extremely annoyed, muttering to himself. She was about to offer him stress relief, in any form that he wanted, when he abruptly looked up and smirked.

Bats and ravens appeared and moved above her head, flying around rapidly. She shrieked, covering her mouth with her hands and shaking. She’s never been much an animal lover; most of them drove her insane, and seemed utterly pointless. Another mouth to feed, another annoyance in her day-to-day existence. Not that she found humans particularly superior - the planet should be rid of all life altogether. Aside from cockroaches and rats. She liked cockroaches and rats well enough.

_ “Hello.” _

She startled, looking around curiously to find out the source of the accented feminine voice. The speaker had a high pitched and almost European sounding voice, which was highly unusual. Not many people came to this town, unless they were here for the university. 

“Leave the shadows,” her master commanded, and it didn’t take long before she saw the mysterious figure. She noticed that the silhouette had hair that was curled and swirled down almost like a vortex. The hue of the hair must not have been similar to her master’s, considering that it didn’t shine. She also noticed that the girl had a fancy dress… and….

Crimson eyes.  _ Hungry _ eyes.

“Hello,” the red-eyed girl repeated. “You must be terribly afraid. I apologize.”

“Get on with it,” her master snapped. “We walked about a mile to get here, only for you to not be prompt and ready when we arrived. We’ll have to discuss that later.”

“Fufufufu,” the mysterious woman giggled. “Very well!”

“Wh-what…” she interrupted, stuttering as her pale hands quivered. “What’s going o-on?”

“Did he not tell you?” The figure tutted and moved closer to her, and she could finally make out her features. A pleasant smile, raven-colored hair, long eyelashes. “I’m sorry, dear. Well, let me inform you.” Her hand touched her face, the woman’s rings cold against her cheek. “Your friend is trying to conduct an experiment, and I’m aiding him with it.”

“Don’t act like this is from the kindness of your heart. You’re getting something out of this, too,” her master remarked.

“Correct. If you had let me finish, perhaps I would have gotten to that. You know I love to play with my food before I eat it.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

She sighed, gazing back at her with those disturbing red eyes. “Doesn’t he get so impatient at bedtime? Any-hoo. You are our willing test subject for this experiment. You don’t need to do anything, dear. All I’m going to require you to do is relax, okay?”

“W-why…” She pointed over the unnamed woman’s shoulder at her master, who bore a cryptic smile. “Why does h-he have a s-syringe?”

“ _ Oh, for fuck’s sake _ !” the woman yelled abruptly, looking at her master. Her entire demeanor changed, from poised and polite to infuriated. Even her accent seemed to recede, but only slightly. Fear filled her veins. “We were supposed to approach this  _ methodically _ !”

“What’s the point?” He spoke apathetically, uncaring. “She won’t run either way.”

“ _ Fait chier! _ ” she swore, looking back at her. “I’m terribly sorry about this, but he has forced this to progress much quicker than I wanted. I hope this won’t hurt terribly. Goodbye.”

“G-Goodbye?”

Her master glared at the dark-haired woman, shouting, “ _ Allez zou, Ludenberg! _ ”

“ _ Tais toi! _ ”

She saw the red eyes thicken with something she could only describe as bloodlust. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as bats circled around her. Her master gazed at the two figures like a vulture, smiling knowingly. She saw fangs emerging, and lips aiming at her neck.

She screamed, rattling her bones and shaking her body, but it didn’t save her.

Nothing could, not anymore. 

(Nobody left the woods alive, in every sense except literal.)

The ravens landed gracefully, and remained until the sun rose. 


	2. arc I, chapter I [Makoto]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nova: yeah i'll get the next chapter up in a couple weeks, maybe three if i get behind  
nova, three months later:

Sometimes, Makoto wished his life was a little more exciting. 

Not necessarily filled to the brim with risks and danger, but just... something with a little more action than his current day-to-day. He lived an average life, with an average family, average friends, and an average personality. The only not-normal things about him were his height - at 19, he was still only 5’3 - and the college that he attended. 

Hope’s Peak University was… interesting, to say the least. It was one of the top schools in the country, but also one of the strangest. Their graduation rate was exceptional, and most of their alumni went straight into a high-paying job. Many of the most influential people in the country hailed from Hope’s Peak University, whether it be undergrad or graduate school. No matter what you went there for, the Hope’s Peak name on your diploma was a stamp of instant approval at companies and businesses around the globe. 

Most of its funding came from its outrageously high tuition - scholarships were rare, and full rides were only given to those who had been scouted for a certain proficiency in a given field. It dedicated its funding to a very specific - and very unusual - field of research; talent. It certainly matched their odd method of doling out scholarships. 

Despite its prestige, the university was steeped in shadiness and rumors. Hope’s Peak received donations, just like any other university, but no one knew who the sponsors behind them were. They were never mentioned, not even for honors during school ceremonies. 

Along with that, there were rumors of a small portion of their funds going to another unknown research subject. Whispers of students going missing, secret labs that the professors themselves didn’t know about; an alumni with a business-related talent posting online about glimpses of budget documents with numbers that didn’t quite add up. Theories and possible explanations flew around the Hope’s Peak discussion forums - everything from human experimentation to supernatural creatures.

Not that Makoto bought into any of that. There was no evidence for any of it, especially not anything like werewolves or vampires. 

“Hey, Makoto!”

At the sound of a familiar voice, Makoto turned around, immediately spotting the bright blue hair that was the signature of his best friend Sayaka. A smile came easily to his face, and he waved at her, calling out, “Sayaka!” She jogged up to him, wearing a pastel sweater and fashionable leggings that contrasted with Makoto’s old hoodie and faded jeans. He started to walk forward, meeting her with a handshake they’ve had since middle school. 

Sayaka Maizono was one of the people recruited to the school on a full-scholarship for a specific talent - in her case, it was singing. Sayaka had been in choir for as long as Makoto could remember, and had even been on a few singing competitions on television, winning each one she participated in. Anyone could tell that she was gifted. He’d known that since he’d met her, way back in their pre-teen years. 

Makoto, on the other hand, had no sort of defining talent. He had gotten into Hope’s Peak due to “luck” - which was just a glorified way of saying he won a lottery. Still, someone in the higher-ups - presumably the president of the university, if his acceptance letter was any sort of clue - truly believed that luck was a talent.

“How’s your day been?” Sayaka asked, falling into step beside him as they walked towards their next class. Makoto had psychology, while Sayaka was on her way to her talent research class. 

He grinned ruefully at her in response. “Same boring crap as always. God, I can’t stand calculus.” Sayaka laughed, with a voice like chiming bells, and Makoto felt his grin widen. “Seriously, I think I’m gonna fail.” 

“Aw, come on, surely it can’t be that bad. It’s Mr. Nanami, and he’s super sweet. Plus he’s Chiaki’s dad, and she’s always willing to help out.”

“You’re right, you’re right. Thank God it’s not Mr. Munakata.”

“You’d be dead ten times over!” 

They both laughed, Makoto’s chuckle high-pitched and light while Sayaka‘s giggle was melodic. Makoto really liked Sayaka’s laugh - he had ever since they met. It was the main reason for his fleeting crush on her in the beginning of high school. While the infatuation had faded, his love of her laugh hadn’t. 

They parted ways just before Makoto reached the building that housed his next class. As he turned towards the old brick structure and headed inside, a smile still stretched on his face. 

Psychology had to be one of his favorite classes. It wasn’t a required course, just a field of interest he had picked up somewhere along the way. The way the brain worked was just so fascinating. Aside from that, he wanted to be able to help people more; the more he understood about the mind, the better he could help his friends work through their problems.

(He could also use what he learned to help himself, too, practically hearing Sayaka scream in his ear to put his needs first.)

His teacher was Ms. Gekkogahara, a small, sweet woman, fresh out of grad school. She always wore a scarf, no matter the season, which most of the class found more endearing than strange. Her voice was soft and quiet, and at times it was hard to hear what she was saying; but she knew the subject, front and back, inside and out, doubling as an on-campus therapist. 

The students in his class were just as unique, if not moreso than his teacher. The class wasn’t restricted to one year, and along with students from his grade there were an assortment of upperclassmen and underclassmen in his class. 

As he entered, one of the freshmen, Kaede Akamatsu, waved zealously at him. She sat in the very front and always paid close attention, taking  _ extremely _ colorful notes (he had to borrow them once and almost got a migraine). Makoto had her in a few other classes, and he knew that she gave the best presentations and was always eager to help someone out. Her presence made the class a little bit brighter - not that it was ever dull, just tiring at times. Makoto returned the wave and Kaede grinned.

Beside her was Shuichi Saihara, a quiet student in her year. He was insightful and seemed like a lovely person to be around, but he was always a bit awkward around Makoto. His pallor made him look a bit unhealthy, but what was the college experience without drinking two cups of coffee every morning and being a little Vitamin D deficient?

As Makoto made his way to his chair, he suddenly tripped. He caught himself before falling, and was about to curse his luck before noticing that the culprit was Byakuya Togami - rather, his long legs sticking out into the aisle. Makoto apologized meekly, but Byakuya just rolled his eyes and returned to looking at his phone. 

Byakuya was... hard to understand. He was in Makoto’s year, but he was detached from everyone else, acting like he owned the place and every person in it. He seemed fairly apathetic to the affairs of other students, and Makoto didn’t mean to be rude, but he was a  _ bit _ stuck up. 

Makoto hurriedly took his seat, which was in the middle row, and exchanged hellos with his friend, Yasuhiro ‘Hiro’ Hagakure. He’d definitely been held back a few years - or maybe Makoto was just in denial at how easily Hiro grew facial hair while Makoto still looked twelve - and he was a bit dim at times, but he was supportive when you needed him to be. His papers were scattered all over his desk, and he made a few sweeping motions to bring them all together before resigning and pulling out more notes from his backpack. To preserve his sanity, Makoto averted his eyes from Hiro’s desk and found himself looking at the desk in front of him. 

The person who occupied that seat was Kyoko Kirigiri, and out of all of his classmates she in particular held his fascination. She was in his year, yet he hardly saw her outside of their psych class, and he’d never even ran into her at the mess hall or the cafe on campus. She was a mystery to him - and from what he could gather from the other students he knew, she was an enigma to everyone else at the university.

She was also really,  _ really _ pretty - that tired, sleep-deprived-but-still-gorgeous kind of pretty - but that was hardly relevant.

Ms. Gekkogahara swiftly took attendance. There weren't many people in the classroom, but there was still the need to check in case Rantaro Amami, a freshman, was gone travelling again. His travelling was partly funded by Hope’s Peak, for reasons Makoto wasn’t sure of. In any case, Ms. Gekkogahara’s face lit up when she saw that he was here, albeit a bit late, sitting near Kaede. She cycled through the other names - Ryoma and Korekiyo were present as well, Toko Fukawa was absent, and Kyoko had to inform Ms. Gekkogahara that Byakuya was here, because God forbid the blond student make his presence known when it was actually necessary. 

As she started pulling up a slideshow, her many open tabs flickering through on the projector, Makoto rifled through his bag for his psych notebook and a pencil. He really needed to organize that thing over break, a realization that became even more clear with every second he went without locating a pencil. He heard Ms. Gekkogahara starting up her presentation, and mumbled a curse under his breath as he was still lacking any sort of writing utensil. Just his luck. 

“Makoto.”

Even though the voice was hushed, the use of this name still startled him, and he jumped, hitting his head on his desk. It wasn’t even that forceful but  _ damn _ that hurt  _ really bad  _ and his eyes were starting to sting. He sucked a breath in through his teeth as he, more slowly this time, drew his head up from under his desk. He could practically feel everyone’s eyes on him, and his face started to burn. 

When he lifted his eyes, the first thing he saw was Kyoko, looking back at him with the blank expression she always wore. For some reason, he expected her to tease him about his clumsiness, but she said nothing, merely holding out her hand. After staring at her for a bit too long (and how could you blame him - she had  _ purple eyes _ , always sharp and shadowed) he noticed her outstretched hand, and glanced down. Wrapped in gloved fingers (which wouldn’t have been odd, since it was fall, but he hasn’t ever seen her without them on) was a simple no.2 pencil. All Makoto could think to do was stare at it, because apparently his brain had decided it would cease functioning whenever Kyoko so much as looked at him, and she nudged it forward, along with a hushed, “Here.”

“Oh! Um-,” Makoto stuttered,  _ finally _ catching up. “Uh, are you sure? I don’t want you to-”

“I have another,” she interrupted, and he looked back up to see her face had its usual impassiveness, although the corner of her mouth was quirked up a bit, as if she was trying not to smile. 

Maybe this wasn’t bad luck after all. 

“Oh, then uh... “ Makoto swallowed, trying to steady his voice. “Thanks,” he said, and grinned at her. To his dismay, Kyoko just nodded, turning back around to listen to whatever Ms. Gekkogahara was talking about, and Makoto sighed in defeat. Another day, another blank face that he couldn’t crack, no matter what he tried. He wanted to know why he never saw her around campus. He wanted to know why she always had dark circles under her eyes. He wanted to know why she never truly smiled. 

He wanted to know what Kyoko Kirigiri was hiding. 

* * *

The rest of psychology went by without any mishaps - unless you count Hiro dramatically exclaiming that schizophrenia was just another form of divining communication from the gods. As soon as Ms. Gekkogahara dismissed class, Kyoko swiftly rose from her seat and left the room, followed by Byakuya. They both looked like they had somewhere extremely important to be; they took quick, purposeful steps, avoiding eye contact as they went. 

The rest of the class lingered, chatting about this, that, and the other. Makoto checked his watch - almost one o’clock - slipped into an idle conversation with Kaede, Rantaro, and Shuichi as they walked out of the classroom. They split ways halfway down the path, with a cheerful farewell from Kaede, a small smile from Rantaro, and a shy wave from Shuichi, and Makoto headed towards the cafeteria. 

Halfway through lunch, Makoto nearly jumped out of his seat when Sayaka’s ringtone blasted from his pocket. Quickly fumbling his hand into his hoodie, he answered it as quickly as he could, acutely aware of all of the stares he was getting.  _ God, can’t believe I forgot to put that on vibrate… lucky it didn’t go off in class.  _

Makoto put the phone up to his ear. “Hey, Sayaka. What’s up?”

_ “MAKOTO!” _

Makoto yelped, jerking the device away from his face in retaliation to the sheer volume of Sayaka’s greeting. She may as well have been standing right next to him, yelling directly into his ear. With a microphone.

“Jeez, Sayaka!” he said, slowly bringing his phone back to his ear. “Do you even have an inside voice?”

_ “Who the heck still says ‘inside voice’? What are you, a five-year-old?”  _ Sayaka giggled, and Makoto knew this was something she’d tease him about for  _ weeks _ . _ _

“That’s not the point!” he retorted, grinning in spite of his accusatory tone. “I could have gone deaf!”

_ “Oh, quit being such a baby. Anyway, I called you for a reason.” _

“Really? Could’ve sworn you just wanted to verbally harass me.”   
  
_ “Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny.”  _ The sarcastic bitterness in her voice evaporated into excitement over the course of a single second.  _ “There’s gonna be a live concert at the cafe down the street, Midnight Mocha, tonight around six. They’re this really chill acoustic band, you’ll love them, I had singing lessons with their lead vocalist when I was younger-” _

Makoto cut her off with a chuckle. “Woah woah, slow down. Midnight Mocha, concert, six pm. That sound right?” 

_ “Yup! Can you make it?”  _

“I dunno, as a college student with no major, no job, and hardly any friends, my schedule is pretty packed. I’ll have to check.”

_ “Good gosh, Makoto, the sass is strong today. While it’s hilarious, either Komaru’s been in town or something’s up.” _   
  
Makoto sighed. “Guess that was a little cynical for me. Nothing happened, I just hit my head on my desk in psych.”

_ “That sucks, but how the flying flip did you hit your head on a desk?” _

Reflecting back on the events of his first class, Makoto just shook his head. “You don’t need to worry about it. Point is, I looked ridiculous.”

_ “Let me guess, in front of someone you like?” _

Makoto choked on a bite of cafeteria pasta.

After a tomato-flavored coughing fit, he spluttered, “Wh-What? Sayaka, how-?!” 

_ “You know me, local psychic.” _   
  


He took a drink from his Sprite to soothe his throat before saying, “Y’know, sometimes I doubt you when you say it’s just intuition. But you got one thing wrong this time, I don’t have a  _ crush _ on her-”

_ “Oh, so your mystery muse is a girl? Darn, I had my bets on Byakuya.” _

“Sayaka…” he groaned. “Wait, Byakuya? As in Togami?  _ Really _ ? No, that’s not important. And like I said, I don’t have a crush on her.” He leaned his chair back on its two back legs, staring at the vaulted ceiling of the cafeteria. “I’m just… trying to get her to warm up to me. She doesn’t talk to anyone, and I hardly ever see her outside of psych. I want to get to know her.”

_ “Hmmm…”  _ Sayaka’s tone flipped again, this time to something more serious.  _ “Ever thought that maybe she likes being alone?” _   
  
“I have, and I don’t plan on bugging her every second of the day. Besides, it’s not only about giving her someone to talk to.” Her face, unbidden, flashed into his mind - pale skin just shy of the color of snow, and violet eyes that looked almost red when the sun hit them at the right angle. Always in a flat, neutral expression. “There’s something… mysterious about her, as cliche as that sounds. I don’t know.” 

Sayaka snickered on the other end of the line.  _ “You’ve got it  _ real  _ bad, Makoto. Good luck unravelling your little ‘mystery’.” _

Makoto’s face burned, and he groaned in a mix of frustration and embarrassment. “God, Sayaka, you’re gonna be the death of me.”

_ “You know it! Now, can you make it to the concert or what?”  _

“Yeah, yeah, I can come. Wanna meet up at my dorm first and walk together?”

_ “Sure! Be there at around… 5:45?” _

“Sounds good!”

“Alright, see ya then!”

The line clicked dead, and Makoto smiled as he brought his phone down. Tonight was gonna be a great send off to the weekend - relaxing music, time away from campus, and spending time with his best friend. He could hardly wait for six o’clock to roll around.

The rest of his day flew by in a flash. He could hardly pay attention in his history class, which  _ probably  _ wasn’t a good thing, but he just couldn’t help but let his mind wander to that evening. He hadn’t been this excited in a while, after all. 

Towards the end of class, he got a text from Sayaka - in all caps - demanding to know what he was wearing tonight. Which, unfortunately, was the only aspect of that evening he  _ hadn’t  _ thought about. Still, it shouldn’t be that much of a big deal, right? It was just a low-key concert at a small cafe, not some black tie affair with a-list celebrities attending. 

_ I figured I’d just wear what I’m wearing right now? _

_ -Makoto, 3:01pm _

_ which is?? _

_ -Sayaka, 3:01pm _

_ My hoodie and jeans…? _

_ -Makoto, 3:01pm _

_ oh my god you are going to be the death of me _

_ -Sayaka, 3:02pm _

_ ???  _

_ -Makoto, 3:02pm _

_ you were seriously gonna wear that ratty old thing?? _

_ -Sayaka, 3:02pm _

_ geez, where would you be without me _

_ -Sayaka, 3:02pm _

_ alright, remember that band shirt i got you for christmas last year?? _

_ -Sayaka, 3:03pm _

_ Yeah,,? _

_ -Makoto, 3:03pm _

_ that’s actually the band playing tonight  _

_ -Sayaka, 3:03pm _

_ Oh shoot no way  _

_ -Makoto, 3:03pm _

_ i swear your luck is ridiculous  _

_ -Sayaka, 3:04pm _

_ anyhoosies wear that with a CLEANN pair of jeans and that gray cardigan you wore to hina’s bday _

_ -Sayaka, 3:05pm _

_ Alright alright  _

_ -Makoto, 3:05pm _

_ We still good for 5:45? _

_ -Makoto, 3:06pm _

_ yup! _

_ -Makoto, 3:06pm _

_ Kay, see ya then! Don’t be late!! _

_ -Makoto, 3:06pm _

_ i won’t, don’t worry. byesies!! _

_ -Sayaka, 3:06pm _

* * *

Makoto was ready a little bit past 5:30, and resorted to lounging on his bed and playing some random mobile game to pass the time. Hiro had introduced it to him, and for its simplicity and mindlessness, it wasn’t that bad. The controls were easy, and the colors were fun. It was an easy game to get lost in. 

Which was, apparently, exactly what happened - the next time he looked at the clock, it was 5:48. After the spike of brief panic for being late, he remembered that Sayaka was meeting him at  _ his _ dorm. Which meant Sayaka was late. 

Sayaka was never late. 

Even as anxiety crawled into the back of his mind, he tried to reason with himself. It was  _ just _ three minutes, after all. She could be doing makeup (which she did this morning), or fixing her hair (which takes her five minutes  _ tops _ , she’s an expert), or maybe she was caught up in campus foot traffic (past 5:40? Unlikely.). 

_ Maybe she’s been kidnapped- _

Makoto rapidly shook his head.  _ NO! No. Stop thinking like that. You’re overreacting.  _

_ Then what’s keeping her? _

_ Maybe she… is caught up on the phone! Yeah, that sounds reasonable. Lots of people call her.  _

_ She would still be able to walk here.  _

_ Well then… what if she forgot the meeting time? _

_ You confirmed it multiple times.  _

_ Yeah, well… she’s a bit forgetful sometimes.  _

_ Not about music.  _

Makoto groaned, covering his face and flopping back onto his bed as his stomach churned. This was stupid. It was  _ three minutes  _ for Christ’s sake - she was probably just caught up talking to someone she ran into on the way. Sayaka would be here any minute. All he had to do was wait. 

So he waited. 

And waited. 

And waited. 

He waited as the hour hand slowly dragged closer to the bottom of the clock, and the possibilities running through his head grew darker and darker. Having lost interest in the mobile game, he tapped his foot, scrolled through Instagram, messed with his hair - anything to make time go faster, to distract himself from the worries that kept gnawing at him. After all, they were  _ incredibly _ unreasonable; nothing bad had happened to Sayaka. 

_ Right? _

He looks at the clock again. It’s six o’clock sharp, the hour and minute hands in a straight line dividing the clock face. Even if Sayaka was late, she would have gotten to his dorm by then. Something was wrong. 

A renewed burst of panic sent him stumbling to his door, his fingers tripping over each other as he tried to dial Sayaka’s number. He counted the rings as he jogged across campus, somewhere between a fast walk and a sluggish run. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.

_ Hiiii~! You’ve reached Sayaka Maizono! I can’t make it to the phone right now, but you can leave a message, and I’ll be sure to call you back as soon as I can! _

Dread swirled through his mind, a shiver pouring down his spine. He could see her dorm building now, rising above the gently sloped hill that Hope’s Peak’s campus sat on; but he called again anyway, praying that the first time she just hadn’t heard his ringtone. 

Six more ringtones, and the same, cheerful voicemail. 

Makoto twisted open the door to her building without knocking, as he usually would have done. Guys were allowed in until nine o’clock, and urgency prevented him from adhering to courtesy. He took a right, then another to get to the staircase, running up the steps two at a time. He passed a girl he vaguely recognized, with long white hair and tan skin. She gave him an eerie smile as he passed. 

Makoto practically crashed into the door in his rush to open it, tumbling into the third-floor hallway. His feet picked up into more of a run as the numbers flew by - 33, 34, 35, 36… 

  1. _ Sayaka Maizono._

The door was open.

Makoto froze, a white-hot flash of fear shooting through his gut. Sayaka had always been paranoid, especially after someone had broken into her house back in high school, and one thing she always did was close her door - hell, she locked it most of the time, even when she was expecting guests. 

He didn’t like the way things were adding up in his mind. 

Makoto took a deep, shaking breath, trying to quell the buzzing in his head (it didn’t work). Steeling his nerves, he reached out a trembling hand and nudged the door further open. 

“Sayaka…?”

There was no answer, and the last remaining bits of hope were starting to fizzle out. He drew in another breath, holding it in this time, and slowly crept into her room. 

The sight that greeted him made him involuntarily gasp, but with his breath already held he ended up choking instead. As he coughed and sputtered, his eyes swept around the room, his heartbeat tripping into high gear. 

The first thing Makoto noticed was a history textbook, splayed out spine-up on the carpet, pages crumpled and folded beneath. The next thing his eyes were drawn to was a pile of trinkets - pictures in frames with cracked glass, singing awards, pens and pencils scattered in a jumbled starburst. 

Her mattress was skewed. One of the curtains was torn, hanging from the rod by a few threads. 

“Sayaka…?” he tried again, an audible tremble in his voice. “If… If this is a j-joke, it’s not… funny…”

Nothing. The silence was deafening, pounding in his ears like a heartbeat. Or maybe that  _ was _ his heartbeat. He couldn’t tell anymore. 

Makoto swallowed thickly, then turned towards the bathroom. It was then that he noticed that the light was on, casting a pale triangle onto the carpet. 

Pale except for a splatter of red, dark and taunting, sitting by the door. 

The color reminded him of the spaghetti he had for lunch, and his stomach churned.

One step, then another, he slowly and shakily walked towards the bathroom. He was hardly four feet from the door, tucked in the adjacent wall to the left, but it felt like fifty miles, trudging through a pool of tar. He couldn’t make himself move faster. He didn’t want to.

Standing in front of the bathroom door, everything sped back up - his heart, his breathing, the shaking of his hands. There was red in the corner of his eye. Sayaka’s shower curtains were blue. 

For a few agonizing minutes, all he did was stand. In front of the door. Hands at his side, quivering, useless. Because somewhere, in the back of his mind, he already knew what was on the other side, waiting for him.

The smell of copper hit his nose, sharp and tangy (it reminded him of when Komaru dared him to put a penny on his tongue when he was seven years old) and his last shred of hope dissolved. 

Makoto pushed open the door. 

At first, all he could see was  _ red _ . Red on the walls, red on the floor, red staining the blue shower curtains. Then he saw the blue of Sayaka’s hair, blending into the curtain, tangled and matted red with blood. 

And then he saw  _ her _ .

He saw everything at once, yet simultaneously zeroed on every individual detail, and it was sickeningly overwhelming. Her mouth was open, dried blood at the corners, and the one eye he could see was pale and glazed over, eyelid half-closed, and the other was torn through by a long, thin gash, and her neck was splashed in blood, and her shirt was torn and bloodstained and there was a huge gash in her stomach and he felt like he was going to  _ vomit _ -

Somebody screamed.

Makoto vaguely recognized the voice as his own before the world spun into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the most difficult part of writing this chapter was the time stamps for the text messages
> 
> skdjksjd in all seriousness, i'm so SO sorry for having this chapter up so much later than promised. life hit me like a freight train and my mental health was *garbage disposal noise* and i just kept putting it off. still no excuse. if it's any consolation, sunflower has already started the next chapter, and i'll get cracking on mine, so expect the usual upload schedule for a bit!!
> 
> also sorry if this is really expositiony and info-dumpy, i've never really written an exposition chapter before and i'm just testing the waters
> 
> thanks for putting up with my procrastination, and extra love to sun for being so patient <33 i hope you all enjoy the chapter, comments and kudos are appreciated!! have a lovely day!!  
-nova


	3. arc I, chapter II [Mondo]

The moon was an ambivalent force. Celestial eyes watched over humanity, witnessing bloodshed with an etched frown, but hopefully smiling at the sense of community. Nights where the moon was full and aware of its surroundings were the ones where Mondo Oowada couldn’t help but contemplate if the moon appreciated those who worshipped it with feverish thought.

Those musings were easily quieted by the sound of footsteps beating against the ground, and the feeling of sweat pouring down Mondo’s face. Right. He was busy right now. He appreciated his own poetic thoughts, but sometimes he was so fakely pretentious he wanted to slap himself. 

He looked up. The moon was still just a moon. It wasn’t angry. It wasn’t smiling. It was just a fucking moon.

He sighed and shook his head. His brother’s wise words and childhood stories must have really gotten to him if he was spinning the moon into a stern mother.

“Mondo?” 

The voice came from Mondo’s best friend and hunting partner, Chihiro Fujisaki. He was the runt of the pack, with distinct golden brown hair (and fur) along with a young face. He was shorter than Mondo in their human forms, not even reaching his shoulder. Chihiro was more cute than scary, but Mondo had enough power to intimidate anybody who hurt the two of them. In return, Chihiro was smart and observant, and could actually  _ pick _ his battles. They made a damn good team, in Mondo’s humble opinion.

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“Can we t-take a break really q-quickly? If… if you d-don’t mind…!” Chihiro asked, gasping a little. He got winded easily, which annoyed some of the other pack members, but Mondo didn’t mind. Everyone got tired once in a while.

“You know I don’t mind. C’mon.” Mondo moved to lean against a thick oak tree while Chihiro sat on the grass. “Watch your stutter, by the way.”

“It’s getting b-better!” 

Mondo smiled a bit. His friend was usually the only one who could draw a smile out of him, aside from his brother. “Yeah, man. Pretty fucking proud of you.”

“Thanks! Ooo, l-look Mondo!” Chihiro pointed to a butterfly with yellow wings. It wasn’t all that interesting to Mondo, but he paid attention anyways. The little critter landed on the smaller boy’s head, earning a giggle. “It tickles!”

“Cool.” Mondo whistled a low tune to himself as Chihiro played with the insect. Tilting his head back up, he looked at the moon again. He’d always felt a strong connection to it— he’s a werewolf, for fuck’s sake—but there was still something eerie about it. The night sky itself kind of looked like it was judging him, and that’s really fucking creepy. He must just be hungry, or maybe worried about the next full moon.

Most werewolves were excited about the days when they would be fully in beast form. They had more power, quicker reflexes, and enhanced speed. They also could neglect sleeping, since they were already restless in a wolf state, and spend the night to the fullest. Objectively, it was a great time - especially when they needed to get food for the next winter. For Mondo, however, it was missing one crucial thing: control. 

When he was a wolf and ravenous, he could hardly  _ tell _ what he was eating. He was just  _ hungry _ , and it was  _ insatiable _ . Sure, he travelled more distance, and it was a bit relieving, but it left him too vulnerable. 

He never cared to share these thoughts with the others. They would laugh, and Chihiro felt so much safer and normal when he was a wolf, so expressing the downsides to him was probably selfish. So like most things, Mondo kept it to himself, even if most packs care about communication, honesty, and loyalty above all else. He’s got the loyalty part down, at least, but actually sharing his emotions?

There was room to improve, to say the least.

“I think I’m good n-now.” Chihiro got up, dusting off his pants and smiling confidently. “Let’s go!”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

_ Back to hunting, under a cold and ominous moon.  _

Mondo sighed before running and panting, the wind roaring in his ears.

—

After finally making it back to where his pack set up camp, Mondo thought he would get a break and get to share the rabbit he and Chihiro caught. However, he realized that wasn’t going to happen the second he heard a familiar voice yell:

“Dude, dude, dude, it wasn’t me!” 

Mondo froze. 

_ What the fuck…! _

He stepped into their camp to see the commotion, only to watch what looked like Daiya confronting Leon Kuwata, a bloody nose and black eye barely hidden by his auburn hair. He was shouting, looking both terrified and angry while Daiya watched silently. The pack leader also looked slightly pained, which instantly alarmed Mondo and set off his brotherly instincts.

“Leon, man, we don’t want to do this either, but all the evidence points to you. The claw-like gashes? The messy execution? Who else could it fucking be?” Daiya ran a hand through his hair. “We were all here, together, except for you when it happened. You know we never hunt alone. What else would you have been doing?”

“It wasn’t me!” Leon wailed, covering his ears. 

Daiya sighed, looking up and meeting Mondo’s eyes. Seeing the younger brother’s inquisitive stare, the pack leader explained, “Leon killed a university girl. Brutally. A human he seemed surprisingly… fond of. Now we have a bunch of humans on our ass, the last thing werewolves needed right now.” Daiya ran his hand through his hair. 

“Why the fuck would I kill Sayaka?! Man, you must be crazy, why would I hurt her?”

“We’ve already run through alibis, not that we even needed them. It’s pretty fucking clear you did it.” Daiya’s eyes darkened. “I’ve been in a pack longer than you’ve been alive. I’ve seen history. I’ve watched it. And I know a fucking  _ traitor  _ when I see one.”

“Traitor?! You’ve lost your mind!”

“And you’ve lost your pack,” Daiya replied coolly. Chihiro tensed at Mondo’s side, and the taller man stepped in front of him. With the way Leon was acting, a fight could break out easily.

“Fuck you! You’re gonna let me go to prison for this shit? Where’s your loyalty?” 

Daiya turned around to walk into the woods, but before he left, he tossed over his shoulder, “I’m loyal to those who deserve it. I don’t care for dirty fucking killers.”

One of the other werewolves spoke out, saying, “I hear police.”

“Oh no,” Chihiro whispered, his voice barely audible. 

“Fuck.” Leon’s eyes widened, and his gaze rested on Mondo. They kept eye contact, and the taller werewolf felt chills go down his spine. He and Leon had always been pretty tight, but Mondo stood with his brother before anybody else. So, shaking off the goosebumps and grabbing Chihiro’s shoulder, he went after Daiya while the others rapidly packed up camp; meanwhile, the footsteps of the police drew nearer, getting louder,  _ faster _ .

Mondo ran for a few minutes, twisting through the familiar trees, before stopping to lean against a tall, weathered maple. As Chihiro bent over, trying to catch his breath, Mondo reflected back upon the last ten minutes.  _ This doesn’t feel right.  _ He couldn’t stop fixating on the image of everyone cleaning up and barely escaping, leaving Leon in handcuffs. Even from far away, he could hear the werewolf yelling, twisting in the police’s grip.  _ Damned police. Damned university girl. Damned traitor.  _ He had to talk to Daiya. No doubt this was going to wear down on the pack leader. Why wouldn’t it?

_ This feels really fucking wrong…! _

“Mondo!” The werewolf snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Chihiro, whose eyes were widen. “I’ve been saying your n-name for two m-minutes. Are you okay?”

“Shit.” Mondo gave Chihiro a fake smile. “I’m good, Chihi. Though I think I should talk to Daiya one on one. Sorry for dragging you out here, I’m sure you’ll find the others. Wolf’s direction, y’know.” 

Chihiro narrowed his eyes but nodded, turning around and disappearing behind trees. Mondo sighed, shaking his head and continuing to walk. Ever since he and Mondo were kids, Daiya would process emotions by immersing himself deep in the woods, where he had perfect solitude. Sometimes it got dangerous, which was why Mondo made a habit of going after his older brother. It was routine. 

After a few minutes, he found the black haired werewolf sitting on a tree stump. Before Mondo could make a sound, Daiya said, “Hey, bro.” He kept his eyes on the grass, and his tone was a little more melancholic than it usually was. “Sit down.”

“Don’t try to hide it; you’re fucking worried, man,” Mondo pointed out, crossing his arms and staying upright instead of joining his brother. “Which I get, because you wouldn’t have expected Leon, right?”

“I knew we were fucked the second he mentioned the chick. Sayaka Maizono or whatever,” Daiya said darkly. Mondo remained silent, allowing his brother to get everything off his chest. “He got attached to human, and just like every fucking time that happens, someone got hurt. Humans are just a means to an end for people like us.”

Mondo decided to comfort his brother, taking a step forward and kneeling, putting a hand on the other’s shoulder. “It was Leon’s responsibility not to put the pack in danger, not to do this shit, but he did. So don’t get too stressed, bro, it’s not your fault.”

“Thanks, man.” Daiya gave his brother a tired smile, and Mondo instantly knew Daiya didn’t believe him. “I get that it’s not my fault, but… fuck, Leon is going to put us all in danger. I don’t want to put this stress on you-”

“I’m your brother, I can fuckin’ take it.”

Daiya nodded. “Alright, alright. Just… don’t tell the rest of the pack, yeah? I want to be honest with them, but I can’t tell if this is a serious threat or me being paranoid. So… make sure I’m not being paranoid, yeah?” Daiya didn’t wait for Mondo to reply. “Vampire activity and other weird fucking things have been more apparent. Ever since the last war ended in a truce…”

“We’ve been fucked.” Mondo should have expected it. Years ago, when Mondo and Daiya were just kids, the werewolves and vampires got into a major war. Packs got wiped out of existence, and some of the most powerful blood-sucking abominations died. There had been so much bloodshed, and there were too many casualties with humans, so one anonymous creature proposed a half-assed truce and everyone had left it at that. The treaty was doomed from the start, especially with some really power-hungry vampires still alive. Mondo had heard of some of them in paranoid whispers:

_ “Eyes red like cherries with long, sheathed claws… a legend, I think. There’s no fucking way they exist.” _

_ “She acts charming, but she’ll suck you dry.” _

_ “Whoever caused all this shit wasn’t human. Wasn’t even a pure vampire. Keeps me up at night.” _

Mondo knew that anything could happen, but he hadn’t even considered the terrifying idea that some of these vampires could come around and fuck up his entire life. Packs have gone extinct before, and Mondo would be damned before seeing everything he had fall apart. 

Daiya nodded, standing up. Mondo followed. “Pretty much. I think a pack can take a vampire down any day, but when humans start getting involved, we can be easily fucking exposed. The world is run by humans now, and we can’t take them on. Not even if all the werewolf packs worked together…”

Mondo winced. His pack, the Crazy Diamonds, was pretty large, but they did not get along with the well-known smaller pack of all females. Those bitches (quite literally)  _ always  _ bared their teeth when they saw Mondo. They were territorial as all hell, which he could respect, but they were fucking prideful. And they would never work with them, even if they had a knife to their throat. 

Daiya picked up an orange leaf, ripping it to shreds and leaving it in the dirt. “Winter is coming, you know.”

“It does every year,” Mondo reassured weakly. Winter was a bad time for werewolves, but they always pulled through. You could still find food, even in a blizzard. Or a drought. Or a heatwave. “We’ll be fine.”

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.” 

Mondo sighed. “You’re a horrible liar.” 

“Yeah. Anyway,” Daiya continued, changing the subject with no subtlety, “let’s find the group. I didn’t mean to make you worried. Just…” He rubbed his temple. “Take my advice. Never fuck with humans. I trust you, cuz you’re my bro, but you’re more empathetic than you think you are. Don’t go out there trying to befriend pretty little university girls or innocent vampires. Nothing out there is good except your pack brothers. Especially in a time like now.” 

After hesitating, Mondo asked, “There’s something bad coming, isn’t there? Something really, really bad?” 

Daiya put his hand on his brother’s shoulder with a heaving breath. “Yeah. We’ll be fine, though. We always fucking are.” The black-haired man let go of the blonde, walking ahead of him and using natural instincts to lead him to the pack. Mondo followed, distracting himself with the cool wind on his skin. 

He looked up. The moon was still there. And yet, in the back of his mind, he knew the day was coming where the sky would be darkened by shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, it’s sunflower. i wanted to say something, whether it’ll lead to spoilers or not
> 
> chihiro gets a gender discovery arc
> 
> talk to us about the story. don’t talk to me about what you think chihiro’s gender identity is. don’t write a whole essay calling me transphobic is twenty seven languages. i don’t speak twenty seven languages (although this french song i'm listening to SLAPS)
> 
> that’s it. have a nice day, sorry for the late upload, hopefully the next chapter comes soonish :) stay safe. (edit: also the moon is supposedly cool today so hey at least i managed to get it up on a cool time)

**Author's Note:**

> hi! (sunflower writing) so this is me and nova's first collab fic! we have,,, too many au ideas for our own good, but this is the first one! posted on halloween because spook.
> 
> we're aiming for two week uploads. both of us have very busy lives, and we also have a lot of other stuff to work on, so that may totally flop.
> 
> (also the two of us typically aim for a few chapters to be written in case we get held up, so we have stuff to post. however, we had a deadline for this and we just... didn't get to write stuff ahead. so, aiming for two weeks, but may get held up)
> 
> i don't really know what else to note here, but i hope you'll stick around!  
\---  
nova here!! yeah so we're super duper excited about this, i hope y'all stick around with us for a wild ride of murder and werewolves and vampires (oh my)!! apologies in advance if i miss a couple deadlines, sunflower is a god at churning out fics left and right while i take 7 years to write 100 words,, bear with me y'all
> 
> anyhoo yeah!! hope you guys enjoy!!!


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